In a city bloodied by unceasing gun violence, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is seeking to shift the conversation on crime to an area he can do something about: pushing for new city firearm regulations.

The mayor said Thursday he will introduce new gun rules to the City Council next week. He refused to discuss the specifics of his proposal, however, and it's unclear how much more he can do via local gun legislation to curb the shootings.

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School slayings in Connecticut, Emanuel has spoken repeatedly about the need for a state and federal assault weapons ban, stronger controls on gun registration and requirements for reporting lost or stolen guns. But Chicago ordinances already ban semi-automatic assault weapons, order gun owners to report when their weapons are lost, stolen or transferred to another owner, and require residents who own firearms to register them.

On Thursday, Emanuel was asked about the Illinois General Assembly's recent failure to pass an assault weapons ban. The mayor positioned himself as a get-tough leader prepared to act while lawmakers in Springfield and Washington dawdle.

"Waiting is not a strong suit of mine," Emanuel said. "First of all, I believe there's, I know there's a majority in the state, an overwhelming majority in the city for a ban on assault weapons, clips, and comprehensive background checks on all sales, wherever they take place, wherever the location may be.

"I can do certain things in the city," Emanuel added during a North Side news conference about after-school programs at libraries. "We're going to take those steps and do that."

Chicago banned handguns for decades until the ordinance was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010. Both during and after the ban, handguns have remained at the root of much of the violence plaguing the city.

Last year, homicides jumped 16 percent in Chicago to 506. Of the more than 7,000 firearms Chicago police took off the streets in 2012, only about 300 would be classified as assault weapons, according to police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. Almost all the rest were handguns.

The 2011 Chicago Murder Analysis prepared by the Chicago Police Department reported that 361 of the city's 433 homicide victims that year were shot, and "nearly all of those shootings involved handguns."

Emanuel could face a costly legal challenge from gun rights advocates over any ordinance that further restricts gun ownership. Last month, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a long-standing state ban on carrying concealed weapons. Last summer, the mayor backed an amendment to the city gun ordinance to allow those convicted of a violent misdemeanor more than five years ago to receive a firearm permit after a federal court judge struck down a section of the law as unconstitutional.

The mayor acknowledged the possibility of a court fight over his upcoming plan.

"We have run it through the (city) corporation counsel. We believe this stands the muster of the court," he said.

Emanuel's comments came Thursday as pardoned former gang member Wallace "Gator" Bradley told aldermen he wants the right to own a handgun, even though he once had felony convictions on his record.

Bradley, who in recent years has set up shop as a self-professed "urban translator" for various groups seeking an edge at City Hall, said he wants to apply for a city firearms permit. He asked if the permit prohibition on people convicted of felonies applied to pardoned people and was told that aldermen would find out for him.

"I'm going to try to get one of those cards," Bradley said. "I'm trying to remain a law-abiding citizen, and I want all my rights as a law-abiding citizen," he added.